


Prompt 18

by astromirage



Series: Tsukkiyama Prompt Fills 2020 [9]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, Cute Yamaguchi Tadashi, Deaf Character, Gay, Kei has a disease, Kei is hard of hearing, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tadashi tries his best, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24188656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astromirage/pseuds/astromirage
Summary: The prompt: Kei is hearing-impaired so Tadashi learns sign language for them.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: Tsukkiyama Prompt Fills 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679962
Comments: 2
Kudos: 144





	Prompt 18

**Author's Note:**

> I did a lot of research for this and i really hope it's accurate and okay. I also expanded a bunch and went on a different route for this.

Kei never thought it'd happen. 

One day, in elementary school, he couldn't hear as well in his left ear, it frightened him, so immediately when he got home, he told his mom. They went to the doctor and Kei was informed he had otosclerosis, which he had apparently inherited from his grandpa. Kei's mom and Akiteru learned sign language, knowing they didn't have sufficient funds to pay for surgery or hearing aids yet, knowing it's the most they can do at this time. 

As the years went on, Tsukishima's mom still struggled to save money for a procedure while paying for classes in JSL. When he met Tadashi, his hearing wasn't gone, not yet, but it was getting very hard to understand people. Kei was extremely grateful that his best friend was so accepting and even wanted to date him, knowing he wouldn't hear certain things. 

Tadashi tried his best to teach himself JSL so he could maybe, just maybe help Kei feel normal or accepted or anything. 

But when Kei wakes up on the first day of his high school year, unable to hear anything at all, he screams. He doesn't know if it was loud or quiet or if anyone heard. That is until Akiteru bursts in his room, signing "what's wrong are you okay?" frantically, fear in his eyes. 

Kei looks up at his brother's eyes and bursts into tears, collapsing into a ball on his bed. Akiteru pulls him into a hug, whispering stuff, unsure if Kei can hear him. Akiteru thinks about how he desperately apologized to Kei for lying to him, how Kei knew he wouldn't be able to hear his brother for long and accepted, seeing how much work he was doing to make it up to him. He thinks about how he taught Kei the JSL for volleyball terms and how it kicked his butt into wanting to play in high school. 

Kei sits back and sniffs, signing "I can't hear anything." 

Akiteru gasps and feels tears come to his eyes, struggling to keep it together. He signs a "It's going to be okay, I promise." he thanks his years of practice with JSL for being able to communicate with his brother, especially now. 

Akiteru leaves his brother alone, going to tell their mom of the new development. They were going to have to make money quicker. 

Kei picks up his phone and texts his boyfriend. 

me: tadashi, my hearing, it's gone. 

tada: I'll be over right now. 

me: i just thought it'd last long enough for me to play one year of high school volleyball. 

tada: kei. im sorry. so sorry. 

Kei knew he had no future in volleyball if he lost all of his hearing. He knew that and he still signed up for his high school team. 

'You're a fool.' 

He gets back, unable to process the fact he can't hear his footsteps or listen to the music he clings so hard onto. He falls to his knees, sobbing once again. He stays there, not moving until Tadashi walks into his room. 

He taps his shoulders and he looks up. Yamaguchi's face and eyes are red, his arms are open for a hug and Kei can't refuse. So he hugs him, tight and desperately. 

Tadashi sits him on his bed and sits right next to him. He grabs his notebook, his efforts in self teaching proved fruitless so they adopted a writing system which was convenient because that was about when Kei deemed it was too hard to try to control his voice. 

He writes "We're not going to school today." 

Kei nods and lays down, hoping to escape his nightmare with more sleep. Tadashi goes to find Akiteru and Kei's mom. 

He finds them in the back garden, sitting on the steps and crying. 

"Guys?" Tadashi peeps out, tears welling in his eyes again. 

The woman stands up and pulls him into a hug. "I don't know what to do." 

"We do our best." He pauses looking up at the two "I need to do more, please teach me sign language." He whimpers, looking at the two. "I need to be able to talk to him." 

"We will, we will." 

He sits with the three of them at their kitchen table as they load books into his arms and their notes from their lessons. 

"I'll teach after you drop Kei off of school everyday, starting today." Akiteru says, smiling the best he could. 

Tadashi tries his darnedest to smile "Thank you, this means so much to me." 

They sit there, a sad silence enveloping the room. 

"Ms.Tsukishima, how much more until we have enough for Kei's implants, he wants to play volleyball and he can't do that with-" 

"We're nearly there, we're so close, but with me paying for my lessons and him going into high school and Akiteru got cut down on hours at work, and I have bills to pay. I just want Kei to hear fully again." She breaks down in tears, putting her head in her arms. 

Tadashi fondles the envelope he's kept in his bag. "I hope this will help." He slides the envelope onto the table. 

She refuses it, "I can't take that Tadashi. It's yours, keep it." 

"Since it's my money I'm deciding I want to put it towards helping him. I've been tutoring kids since the second year of middle school, I still have some money left over, this might help out." 

"Tadashi, please don't." Akiteru begs. 

"I said I'm giving you the money." he says pointedly, voice quivering on the verge of tears once again. 

"Take what you need, please." he says. 

"There's more than enough here, we just needed a little more, thank you so much Tadashi." She hugs him, falling out of her chair and onto her knees, sobbing loudly. 

She leaves the room to organize everything in order to even make the arrangements for the operation. 

Akiteru sits there, for the rest of the day, teaching Tadashi, going slowly and signing basic words. Then Tsukki comes down for lunch. His eyes are bright red and his under eyes are puffy. 

Akiteru signs "You hungry?" 

He nods and Tadashi gets up to make him food, knowing that he left his notebook upstairs and he wouldn't be able to talk with him. 

The brothers sit at the table, signing an entire conversation. He quickly gets the bento that was packed for Kei. He sets it in front of him and smiles. 

Kei grins and signs a thank you. Tadashi remembers what you're welcome and I love you and signs it out. Kei stares at the hands his boyfriend used and feels his heart warm. 

Akiteru ruffles Tadashi's hair and stands up. He signs "See you later guys." and leaves. 

Tadashi leans into Kei's side as he eats, hoping he'd feel better knowing he'd be able to get his cochlear implants soon. Kei has been mute since his second year of middle school, when he lost 50% of his hearing. 

So when he mumbles out a quiet, shaky, mispronounced and crackling "I love you Tadashi." He feels his heart explode. 

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Months after their failed first day of school, Kei flips through his calendar on his fridge and drops his fork when he sees the words "Kei's pre op and surgery." written in a few months down the line. 

His mom looks over as Kei signs "Am I getting implants?" 

She nods and hugs him, he hugs back, both crying. 

Tadashi keeps coming over, these months have proven to reopen his mind to JSL. He picked it up as quickly as he could. Akiteru was really proud of him. Tadashi was now able to sign simple phrases to Kei, which made Kei happy every time.

When Kei finally goes to school Tadashi helps out with telling him what everyone is saying. Tadashi even brings him to the volleyball Club room, which Kei was reluctant to do. 

He turns and signs for Kei to wait here. He walks up to his captain and bows. 

"I have a question Daichi." He says, knees shaking. 

"Well, ask away." Daichi smiles. 

"Calm down Yamaguchi." Sugawara waves his hand. 

Tadashi asked Kei if he could do this and Kei once again reluctantly agreed. "Kei is deaf." the two men in front of him look to the boy standing there, not responding to the little orange spiker who's trying to ascertain his attention. 

"Hinata! Stop!" Daichi commands, looking back to Tadashi. 

"He's a really good volleyball player, but he recently lost all of his hearing. He's going to get the implants to help him regain it but it won't be for a while, and I was just wondering if he could maybe practice with us, nothing like games or anything just some drills." 

The two third years once again look at the kid with glasses, trying his best to communicate with Hinata, waving and signing out "hi, how are you?" 

"Absolutely. He can join in on games when he feels confident enough to do so." Suga smiles, giving him an ecstatic thumbs up. 

Tadashi feels tears come to his eyes "Thank you, thank you so much." 

He turns to see Kei, closing his eyes as to not be bothered by the growing crowd. Tadashi rolls his eyes.

"Guys stop bothering him." Daichi calls. 

"Well he's ignoring us." Noya complains. 

"It's not his fault," Tadashi says, shoving through the boys. "He's deaf." 

The team backs up and nods. Tadashi taps his shoulder and he opens his eyes. He writes on his little notepad "how'd it go?"

Tadashi signs okay and smiles. Kei grins and hugs him, when they seperate he signs a thank you. 

"Everyone meet my boyfriend, Tsukishima Kei, he plays middle blocker but he'll be running simple drills with us until he can gain some of his hearing back." 

"Welcome to the team!" they shout, hoping he can read his lips. 

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

The day of his pre op, all three went to the hospital and waited for him. They all sit there, talking and reminiscing, trying to make the time pass. He'd have to have two different 3 hour surgeries, so they'd be here for a while. 

Eventually they fall asleep in the waiting room after Akiteru spent hours teaching Tadashi some JSL. Soon enough Kei was out and in a hospital room resting. They all sit in his room, looking at the shaved bits of his hair and the new scars along with the new technology attached to his head. 

Kei gets to go home that day as long he rests up and his wounds don't get touched. 

Tadashi goes home with the Tsukishima's and into Kei's bedroom with him. 

"Goodnight Kei." he signs, kissing his forehead. 

Five weeks later, after the bones healed up, Kei's back at the hospital. Tadashi, Akiteru and Ms.Tsukishima surround Kei and the Doctor. 

The Doctor switches on both receivers as the three go quiet. 

"Kei?" The mom asks, hoping the surgery didn't fail. 

Kei turns his head and he breaks down. His unused vocal chords grumbles out a "Mama?" 

His mom starts wailing, clutching onto her son. Akiteru kneels down at Kei's side, hugging him. 

Tadashi stares on, hands shaking. Kei looks up at his sobbing boyfriend. 

Tadashi signs "I love you so so much. I'm so happy right now." 

Kei let's a wretched sob escape his throat, he throws at his arms and makes grabby hands towards him. Tadashi throws himself into his arms. 

"Thank you." Kei signs as Tadashi sits in front of him. 

"Always." Tadashi signs back. 

He never thought after years of slowly losing the ability to hear, years of barely being able to hear the voice of his boyfriend, months of living in a quiet world. He never thought he'd be able to hear Tadashi's proclamations of love. 

Kei never thought it'd happen.


End file.
